USS GW Sailor Earns Third Warfare Qualification

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) recognized one of its Sailors for earning her third warfare qualification and being the first in her community to do so during her time on board.

Aerographer’s Mate 2nd Class, Karen Richards, from Ellendale, Missouri, was recently awarded the Enlisted Information Dominance Warfare Specialist (EIDWS) pin.

“Luckily, I have been privileged to have an immensely supportive chain of command and an incredible division who pushed me and reminded me not to give up,” said Richards. “I also had Sailors aboard George Washington that would tell me to keep going and kept cheering me on. It was their enthusiasm that helped me stay focused to reach my ultimate goal.”

Among the 18 aerographers aboard George Washington, she is the first to earn three warfare qualifications.

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.